Rail joint



J. T. BALDWIN Nov. 15, 1938.

RAIL JOINT Filed Nov. 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l @57 7? 729a Zdaaz'ra ATTOR N EYS Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES RAIL JOINT John T. Baldwin,

Application November 1 Claim.

My invention relates to rail joints and more particularly to rail jointsof the expansible type. One of the principal objects of my invention isto providea rail wherein the rail sections are capable of expansion andcontraction and at the same time prevented from lateral as well asvertical dislodgement relative to each other.

Another object of. my invention is to provide a rail joint of the abovedescribed character formed in a manner to effect a positive looking ofthe rail sections together and which is capable of ready assembly anddisassembly of the sections.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription, appended claim and annexed drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designatelike parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the interlocking rail endsections in disassembled position.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section.

Fig. dis a transverse section taken on the line 66 of Figure 4.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view illustrating one of the initial positionsin'disassembling the sections.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view illustrating another step in disassembling thesections.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure '7.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line Iii-l0 of Figure 8.

Fig. 11 is a transverse section illustrating one ofthe final steps indisassembling the sections.

Fig. 12 is a similar view to Figure 11 illustrating the final step indisassembling the sections and the initial step in assembling thesections.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary elevation of the rail chair.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the rail chair.

In practicing my invention I provide, as illustrated in the drawings,connected rail end sections A and B of rails and which are fashioned ina manner to form my novel joint hereinafter described. Inasmuch as thesections A and B are of a substantially identical construction, wherebythe same are adapted for interlocking engagement With each other, adetailed description of section A will suffice, it being under-Chattanooga, Tenn.

1, 1937, Serial No. 172,271

stood, for the purpose of description, that the reference numeralsindicative of. parts of section A are set forth with the exponents a asindicative of like parts of section B.

Section A is fashioned with the usual head 5, flange ii and web 1. Theweb is formed with an enlarged portion 8 extending longitudinally beyondthe outer end of said section for engagement with section B andterminates in a vertically extending outer end face 9.

The head 5, at a point substantially intermediate of the inner end ofthe portion 8 and outer end of the section A, is segmented to form aninner vertical wall extending through said head and having a rightangularly disposed shoulder Hi located substantially intermediate of thelength of. said wall forming parallel extending walls II and I2respectively. The wall I l terminates rearwardly in a transverse wall [3effecting jointure with a vertically extending and outwardly inclinedwall I4 forming a cuneiform section 15 on the head 5. The outer end ofthe head 5 adjacent the portion 8 is fashioned with a vertical andinwardly extending wall forming a cuneiform section IS on the end ofsaid head. The flange 6 between the wall' [3 and shoulder ID issegmented to form rear and front flange sections l1 and I8 respectively.The lateral face of the web I oppositely disposed from the face formedwith the portion 8, and between the wall l3, shoulder l0, flangesections l1 and IB, is formed with a vertical and longitudinallyextending wall IS. The upper end of. said wall I9 is fashioned with aright angularly disposed face aligned with the under faces of thecuneiform sections l5 and I6 and thereby forms a shoulder rightangularly disposed in relation to the vertical face of the Wall II. Theouter end of the wall l9, subjacent the wall I2, is fashioned with aslot for permitting the section I5a to be inserted therethrough forlocking engagement with section IS. The upwardly and outwardly extendingface of the wall I9 forms front and rear upwardly extending transverseshoulders 2| and 22 respectively.

The web 1 and enlarged portion 8 are formed with transverse apertures 23for the reception of suitable bolts 24 for clamping the sections A and Btogether. The apertures 23 are elongated on one section in a manner toregister with cylindrical apertures in the opposite section whereby topermit contraction or expansion of the sections relative to each otherand the enlarged portions 8 are countersunk about the cylindrical shapedapertures and receive the heads of the bolts secured therethrough toprevent relative movement between the bolts and nuts.

The sections A and B, being in the disassembled position shown in Figure2, are assembled in the following manner: the section A is cantedslightly below the section B to position the wall I! against the wall19a below the shoulder 29a and the front flange section l8 between thefront and rear flange sections 3a and Ila respectively, as clearlyillustrated in Figure 12. From this position, section A is movedupwardly positioning the walls H and [2 adjacent the faces Ma and Ilarespectively, the shoulders l0 and Illa in abutting engagement, thecuneiform section I6 passing between the cuneiform section H11 and wallI la and over the shoulder a, and the cuneiform section l5 passingbetween the cuneiform section Mia and the web portion Ba as illustratedin Figure 11.

From the last described position, the flange end of the section A ismoved inwardly to assume a parallel horizontal position with the flangeend of section B as illustrated in Figure 10. From this position, thesections are moved transversely whereby the faces II and I2 abut thefaces I20, and Ila respectively, as illustrated in Figures '7 and 9, andin which the shoulders I0 and Illa are in abutting engagement.

From this last described position, the sections A and B are movedlongitudinally relative to each other to effect a spacing between theshoulders l0 and I 0a, wall i3 and end of cuneiform section Ilia, andend of cuneiform section I6 and wall 13a. In this position the bolts 24are passed through the apertures 23 and nuts 25 threaded on said boltsto bind the parts together. From the foregoing it will be apparent thatby spacing the cuneiform sections apart thereby moving the shoulders I 0and 10a, (as illustrated in Figure 4) contraction or expansion of thesections is compensated for. It is to be noted that the enlargedportions 8 and 8a of the respective webs extend beyond the outer ends ofthe sections and seat between the head and flange of the adjacentsection, thereby reenforcing the structure.

Obviously, while the joint permits relative 1ongitudinal movement of therail sections for the purpose of contraction or expansion, lateral orvertical movement between the sections is prevented due to theinterlocking of the flange sections, horizontally extending shoulders,cuneiform sections and the extending portions 8 and 8a.

For the purpose of securing the rails to the usual cross ties, I employa rail chair having coacting sections and 3| extending longitudinally ofthe rail sections A and B and formed with upwardly extending arms 32 and33 formed with channels to embrace the flanges 6 and Ba of the rails asclearly illustrated in Figure 6. Subjacent the bottom and intermediateof the length thereof, the sections 30 and 3| are formed with recessedlugs through which is secured a bolt and nut 34 for clamping thesections together about the flanges 6 and 6a. Adjacent the outer ends,the chair sections 30 and 3! are formed with slots 35 for receiving theshanks of rail spikes whereby the chair is secured to the cross ties.

What I claim is:

A rail joint of the class described, comprising, a pair of identicalabutting rail sections formed with head, web and flange sectionsrespectively, each of said head sections fashioned with an inner andouter cuneiform section, said inner cuneiform section spaced inwardlyfrom the rail end face, each of said cuneiform sections having avertical longitudinally inclined abutting surface, said abuttingsurfaces being parallel, said outer cuneiform section terminating in anend face flush with the rail end face and the inner and outer cuneiformsections of one rail section laterally engaging the outer and innercuneiform sections respectively of the abutting rail section, each ofsaid web sections being partially cut away and fashioned with ahorizontal shoulder abutting the lower face of the cuneiform section ofthe abutting rail seciion, each of said flange sections being cut awayadjacent the end thereof to accommodate the end of the flange section ofthe abutting rail section, said cuneiform sections coacting with eachother, said shoulders and said cut away flange sections to preventrelative vertical movement and permit longitudinal movement of. saidrail sections relative to each other.

JOHN T. BALDWIN.

